6 words and phrases that mean totally different things depending on what country you're from
Jordan Parker Erb
- "Out of pocket" can mean different things depending on who you ask — and where you're from.
- Millennials are facing a linguistic reckoning after learning this phrase means something else for Gen Z.
On Monday, millennials faced a generational reckoning after discovering that "out of pocket" means something totally different to them than it does to Gen Zers, according to a viral TikTok video.
Millennial workers and their older counterparts use the term to say they'll be out of the office for a while, but younger workers know it to mean acting out of hand.
Meanwhile, British employees at Insider pointed out that the phrase means something different across the pond: "I don't have any money on me."
The term's many cultural and generational meanings got us thinking — what other words and phrases mean one thing to some people and something entirely different to others?
Here are six words and phrases that have different meanings depending on what country you're in.
In the UK, if someone asks "You alright?" it doesn't necessarily mean they think you're having a bad day.
When a Brit asks if you're "alright," they're probably not assuming you're in a bad mood or having a bad day.
According to the digital publication Great British Mag, "you alright" is "just the British way of saying hello" — whereas in the US, it typically means someone's checking to make sure you're OK.
"When a Brit asks, 'You alright?'" the best response is always, 'Yeah, great thanks. You?' Anything else will really put a spanner in the works," the outlet wrote.
The "first floor" of a building is different depending on where you are in the world.
In the United States, the first floor is the ground level of a building. Throughout Europe and the UK, however, the floor above ground level is considered the first floor, CultureTrip reports.
Knowing this will help American travelers navigate their hotels and other buildings while traveling abroad.
"Wagon" means something totally different in Ireland than it does in the States.
In the United States and elsewhere, a wagon is simply a wheeled cart used for hauling things, often pulled by an animal.
To say the term in Ireland, however, could get you in trouble. According to the Irish Mirror, "wagon" is "a term for an obnoxious and annoying woman."
In the US, "pissed" means mad. In the UK, it means being drunk.
Saying you're "pissed" can get varying reactions depending on the circumstances — and where you're at in the world.
If you say it in an office in the States, for example, your coworkers will just think you're mad over something. But if you were to say it in a British office, where "pissed" means to be drunk, according to CultureTrip, your coworkers may be more concerned.
In the UK, "geezer" doesn't mean "old man," as it does in the United States.
Stateside, to call someone a geezer is "an informal, humorous or mildly disparaging," way to say they're an old man, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
In the UK, however, it's an informal synonym for "guy," or "bloke," the dictionary states.
"Handy" doesn't mean helpful in Germany. It's a term for cell phones.
According to Cambridge Dictionary, in Germany, "handy" is another term for a cell phone.
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